


Not a drop of doubt

by LouiseC



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:57:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6942547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouiseC/pseuds/LouiseC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A surprising conversation makes Danny realise some things for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a drop of doubt

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Bon Jovi "No Apologies".

“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, Detective Williams,” Nahele slides into the picnic table’s attached seat, folding his long legs under the low bench. “I know you’re probably wondering why I asked you to come here.”

“How many times do I gotta tell you, kid. You can call me Danny.” 

“Probably five or six more,” Nahele shrugs. 

“S’ok,” Danny assures him. “Whatever you’re comfortable with. Just, not…”

“Danno.” Nahele finishes with a grin. “I know.” 

“At least somebody listens to me. Speaking of listening, what did you want to talk to me about? You in some kind of trouble?

“No, nothing like that. I, uh,” the tips of Nahele’s ears redden and his thumb rubs along the grain of the picnic table. “I was hoping for some advice, you know.”

“Ah. And you don’t want to go to Steve because…”

Nahele shakes his head. “Nu huh. Can’t. Not yet anyway. I need to be… sure of stuff. Before.”

“You sure you’re not in trouble?” 

“I’m sure. I just…” he looks over his shoulder. 

“You want to talk some place else? Go for a walk maybe?” 

“Yeah,” Nahele unfolds himself from the low bench. “Thanks. That’s a good idea.”

“No problem. I’m becoming well accustomed to the needs of teenage angst, what with Grace getting all….” he stops, holding out a hand to stop Nahele in his tracks. “This isn’t about her, is it?”

“What?”

“You want to ask her out or something? Come to ask my permission to date her?”

“What?” Nahele chokes. “No way.” 

“Good.” Danny squints against the fading sunlight. “I mean, you’d be so lucky. But good. You’re too old for her anyway.”

“I am,” Nahele agrees. “And very, very not interested in your daughter. She’s practically Steve’s niece, that’d be way weird.”

“Good,” Danny says again. He adds _practically Steve's niece_ to the already long mental list he has. But that's another issue. A couple of minutes down the beach, Danny indicates a nearby bench that overlooks the sea wall. At least there’s a view to enjoy while he waits for Nahele to work up his nerve. “Here?” Danny wonders if sitting side by side rather than facing each other will help the young man get out what it is he needs to talk about. 

Danny’s about ready to give up on his plan to wait Nahele out when the boy finally breaks the uneasy silence. 

“So there’s a guy in my home room. I’ve been trying to work up the guts to ask him out for the last month and a half and I was wondering how you knew.”

Nahele’s expectant look makes Danny feel compelled to answer. With what, he’s got no fucking idea. “Uh, how I knew what, exactly?”

“That you wanted to commit to… y’know. That. Taking that chance.”

“Ah.” Danny decides to skirt the very obvious insinuation and focus on the immediate issue at hand. “You think something bad’ll happen if you ask? If anyone threatens you, Nahele, you come to me.” He’d mention Steve would go all SEAL on their ass but for some reason Nahele doesn’t seem to want to bring him into this. 

“He won’t,” Nahele seems sure. “I wouldn’t, ah, I wouldn’t be his friend in the first place if he weren’t a decent guy.”

“Right,” Danny nods. “Makes sense. So… Ok here’s the thing, kid. I’m not… what you think I am.” And fuck what hope is there if he can’t even bring himself to say it. Add it to the list. But the kid’s been brave enough to come to him with this, feels like he’s taken a risk, and Danny feels like he owes him the truth. Well as much of the truth as he knows himself right now. “I’m not gay, Nahele.” 

“Oh. Well shit.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t help,” Danny assures him. He won’t leave him out in the cold when he knows will be able to direct him in the right direction for some advice. “Though I am wondering what made you think to come to me.” 

“I don’t know,” Nahele shrugs. “You’re very neat. Your place is decorated so nice and, well, there’s your hair.”

Danny frowns. “Look, first thing’s first. If you’re serious about this you gotta stop thinking like that. Right now, okay?” 

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Nahele sounds kind of panicky. “I mean it’s no problem, obviously.”

“I know you didn’t,” Danny placates. No need to scare the kid off. “Just, you can’t believe what you see on TV and movies and shit.” Danny sighs. “Look, you can’t assume you can tell anything about anyone. Not just their sexuality. One of the toughest, coldest cops I knew back home cried over a burnt up kitten we pulled out of an arson scene.”

“I’m sorry,” Nahele sighs. “I just really thought you’d know what I’m going through.”

“It’s never easy asking someone out,” Danny nods. “It’s even harder when you can’t assume there’s automatic chance of them being interested. At least if it’s a chick they’d be expecting it. I get why you’re worried, kid. Believe me, I get it. It’s worse when they’re already your friend and you’re risking ending up with less than you have now.”

“So you do know.”

“About that, yeah, kid. I know.”

“I never really asked a girl out either," Nahele confesses. "Things've always kinda been too messed up with me before, you know?” 

“That was before. You know what I said about not underestimating people?”

“Not to assume I know what someone’s about.”

“Right,” Danny nods. “Well I really, really think you need to give some consideration to having this talk with Steve.” He holds his hands up to cut off the protest he sees on the boy’s face. “Trust me, okay.”

“Maybe. I mean, I’ll think about it,” Nahele gives him a strained smile. 

“You want me to bring it up with him a little? Break the ice for you? See what he says. But know this, if he works it out, I’m not gonna lie for you. Not to Steve.”

“Maybe. He won’t flip his shit? I mean my old man…”

“He won’t. I promise.” Danny smiles. He can see he's going to have to really advocate for this. Damned Navy and its fucked up past practises. He doesn't blame Nahele for his assumption any more than his own. “Like you said, I wouldn’t be his friend if he was some asshole.” Danny handwaves Nahele’s raised eyebrow. “I’m paraphrasing of course.”

“Well, if you’re sure, maybe you could…I don’t know, tell him I want to talk to him about some stuff and… See where it goes?”

“Consider it done.” Danny decides that this’s probably been enough vulnerability for the both of them for one afternoon. 

Danny stands up and nods towards Kamekona’s truck. “Come on, I’ll shout you a shave ice.”

“I get staff discount,” Nahele reminds him.

“Yeah, but you work for Kamekona. What is it, 5%?”

Nahele scowls. “2 and a half.”

“See. My shout, okay?”

* * * 

_“Hey. How’d it go?”_

Even through the Camaro’s speaker phone, Danny can tell from the background noise that Steve is just leaving the office; the glass doors have this distinctive swish-thump when the close. 

“It was… Unexpected.”

_“He in trouble?”_

“Nah. Some pretty deep thoughts. Personal stuff. I told him I’m happy to be an ear but suggested he could definitely come to you as well. That you’d be better equipped and very understanding.”

 _“O-kay.”_ Steve draws the word out, obviously puzzled but not pressing for now.

“Hey, you headed home now?”

_“Yeah. You?”_

“Might head to your place if that’s okay?”

_“Anytime, Danno. You know that.”_

“Well, y’know. I wasn’t sure, what with the whole…”

 _“Anytime,”_ Steve says again, firmly. _“Nothing’s changed, buddy.”_

“Okay,” Danny indicates to exit the freeway. “I’ll probably beat you there.”

 _“See you in a bit then. Don’t mess with my TV, I’ve got a game recording.”_ Steve pauses. _“I mean it, Danny. Nothing has to change.”_

The thing is, Danny thinks to himself, everything already has.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 of 2. All written, just nutting out the specifics of the second chapter.
> 
> Thoughts and ideas welcome as always :)


End file.
